Paper feeding mechanism for statistical machines



A. THOMAS Sept. 23, 1941.

PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed Oct. 1, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. THOMAS Sept. 23, 1941.

PAPER FEEDING 1V HANISM FOR STATISTICAL MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 1, 1937 Fig. 2.

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HTTOR/VEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 A. THOMAS Filed ()Gt. 1, 1957 ,Il'zvenifion A. THOMAS v.4 Horn/e3.

Sept. 23, 1941.

' PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STATISTICAL MACHINES A. THOMAS Sept. 23, 1941.

I PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STATISTICAL MACHINES Filed Oct. 1, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,Z'nvn 507".

A THO/WA 1A ffor n y Patented Sept. 23, 1941 PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM F OR STATISTICAL MACHINES Arthur Thomas, Wallington,

England, assignor to Powers Accounting Machines Limited, London, England,

a company of Great Britain Application October 1, 1937, Serial No. 166,821 In Great Britain October 10, 1936 1 Claim.

This invention relates to paper feeding control mechanism for statistical machines, such as record card controlled tabulating machines, calculating machines, typewriters and the like.

According to the present invention paper feeding control mechanism for statistical machines comprises in combination a driving member for the paper feeding mechanism, the extent of movement of said driving member determining the length of paper fed at each stroke thereof, means for actuating said driving member at each machine cycle through a lost motion device and means for varying the extent of lost motion whereby the length of paper fed may be adjusted.

According to a further feature of the invention, in calculating machines, means may be provided, operable under the control of the total printing mechanism of the machine for reducing the extent of lost motion when a total printing operation occurs, whereby a greater length of paper is fed after a total has been printed.

In order to explain the invention more fully the invention will now be described by way of example as applied to a record card controlled tabulating machine, and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates the mechanism according to the invention in elevation.

Fig. 2 shows a part of the tabulator including the mechanism for'driving certain shafts shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a view in section on the line IIIIII of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 shows a detail of construction.

Figure 5 shows the total taking control mechanism of the machine.

In the construction shown in the drawings the paper is fed by rotating the platen 2 through a ratchet mechanism operated by a reciprocating driving member in the form of a rack 3. Re- 4 ciprocation of the rack causes the wheel 4 to oscillate and the ratchet mechanism is disposed betweenthe wheel 4 and the platen.

The rack 3 is pivoted at its left hand end (Fig.

1) by means of a slot I1 engaging a pin I8 on an 4 arm I9 secured to a shaft 86 and at its right hand end the rack 3 is pivoted at 50 to a rod 51 passing-freely through a hole in a fixed bracket 52.

Engaging with the rack 3 is a toothed wheel 4 freely mounted on a stub 53 projecting from r the frame member 54 (Fig. 3) and supporting a bracket 55 which is also supported by a stud 53a.

In order to maintain the rack 3 in engagement with the wheel 4 the rack is guided on a roller I5 having a large flange I6, the rack passing between this flange I6 and the bracket 54 (Fig. 3).

Co-axially secured to the rear face of the wheel 4 is a ratchet wheel 56 held in engagement with a second ratchet wheel 51 by means of a spring 58 (Fig. 3). The ratchet wheel 51 is secured co-axially to a gear wheel 53 freely mounted on the stub 53, and the gear wheel 59 engages a pinion 60 secured to a shaft 6|. At its other end (Fig. 3) the shaft 6| has secured to it a pinion 62 engaging with a gear wheel 63 which in turn meshes with a gear wheel 54 secured to the shaft of the platen 2.

When the rack 3 is moved to the left in Fig. 1 the wheel 4 rotates clockwise and the teeth of the ratchet wheel 55 slip over those of the ratchet wheel 51 so that the platen 2 is not rotated. When the rack 3 moves to the right the ratchets 56 and 51 transmit the motion to the platen.

The rack 3 has a projection 5, which, inthe position of rest of the machine, is held against a pin 6 in a driving disc 1 by means of a spring 8 disposed around the rod 5|. In this position the rack is at the end of its feeding stroke.

The disc 1 is freely mounted on the sector restoring shaft of the tabulator and carries a pin 3 abutting against an arm 35 secured to the shaft 35 which, as described in my co-pending patent application Serial No. 166,822 entitled Improvements in calculating machines, filed October 1, 1937, is oscillated from the main shaft I of the tabulator by means of the arm 36 connected by a link 31 to one end of a lever 38 pivoted to the machine frame at 33 and of which the other end carries a roll 38a engaging a cam secured to the main shaft I (see Fig. 2). The connection between arm 35 and link 31 is as follows (Figs. 1 and 4) Secured within the upper end of link 31 is a ball bearing through which passes a stud 66 having a shoulder 61 located between the members 3B and 31. This shoulder 51 is smaller in diameter than the outer race of the ball bearing and on the opposite side of link 31 is disposed a washer 68. The inner ball race is clamped between washer 68 and shoulder 61 by means of a nut 53 and a second nut 10 clamps the arm 36 between a washer H and the shoulder 51.

Thus although the stud 65 together with the inner ball race is clamped to the arm 36, the outer ball race is free and link 31 can therefore swing about the inner ball race.

At each revolution of the main shaft I the shaft 35 is rocked ounter-clockwise in Fig. 1 and then back again. When the shaft 35 rocks counter-clockwise the projection 6 bearing on The member I2 is pivoted at it and has a handle M by means of which any one of they steps H- may be placed in the path of the lug it. If the member i2 is set with the highest step i M m the path of the-lug Hi the rack will not be able to move at all, whereas if the second step is Also secured to the shaft 90 carrying the frame is a lever 93 connected through a link 94 to a clutch control lever 95 serving to control a clutch for connecting the shaft 96 to the tabulator main shaft i.

This clutch comprises a disc 9! which is continuously rotated from the tabulator main shaft in the path of the lug as shown the rack will follow the movement of the pin 6* until the lug ill engages the second step. The arm 36.will then continue its movement counter-clockwise and on the return movement clockwise engages the pin 9 thereby carrying the disc H and pin 6 back to the initial position whereby the rack is also returned to the initial position. This return movement of the rack feeds the paper one line space. 7 I

If the third step it is disposed in the path of the lug It the rack will move with the arm 36 until the lug it engages the third step and then on the return movement will feed the paper two line spaces.

Thus by means of the handle it the extent to which the rack follows the counter-clockwise movement of the arm 3% and therefore the extent of feed at each revolution of the main shaft 9 can be predetermined.

On a total cycle it is desired to feed the paper to a greater extent in order to separate the items constituting one account from those constituting the next account.

As already mentioned the left hand end of the rack 3 is slotted at El (Fig. 1) to engage with a pin 58 carried by an arm 89 secured to a shaft 86 which is displaced angularly when a total cycle occurs.

The shaft 66 is rocked by a cam 82! secured to the total shaft 96, this cam acting on a roller 422 on a link i2 3 which is pivoted to a bell crank plate E25 connected by a link 925 to an arm 826 secured to the shaft 36 (Figs. 1 and 2).

The shaft 98 is caused to make one revolution when a change in designation is detected by the designation pin box P.

The designation pin box P is constructed in substantially the same manner as the pin box described in United States Patent No, 1,661,684 issued March 6, 1928, and includes a plurality of testing bars 8?, one for each column (Fig. 5).

Each testing bar is formed with a slot '66 at one end, this slot being open upwardly and disposed adjacent the slotted ends of the testing bars is a frame 89 secured'to a shaft 96 and carrying a number of pivoted latches 98, one for each testing bar. Each latch has a projection 92 which can engage in the slot 86 in the end of its associated testing bar when the latch is moved to a given position; By this means any desired number of the testing bars 6'! can be coupled to the frame 89.

At each cycle of the machine, as long as there is agreement between successive cards passing through the designating pin box, all the testing bars 6? are free to reciprocate as described in specification No. 1,661,684 and they therefore permit rocking of the frame 89 together with the shaft 90 to which it is secured. When, however, ther is disagreement between two successive cards one or more of these testing bars M will be arrested and consequently the frame 8% will fail to rock.

through a gear wheel 98 secured to the main shaft and engaging a gear wheel 99 which in turn engages teeth on the periphery of the disc 97, the gear ratio being such that the disc 91 makes one revolution to each three revolutions I of the main shaft l.

Secured to the total shaft 96 is a driven clutch member 566 and secured to the disc 9? which is driven from the main shaft are three latches 'IOI which are normally held by springs 12in such a position that any one of the latches would engage the clutch member I60 and rotate the total shaft 96. d

Normally however the clutch control lever is in such a position that as the disc 91 rotates a lug we on the clutch control lever engages each latch It! as it comes round and deflects it from the clutch member I06 so that it does not engage therewith and the total shaft 96 remains stationary. When a total cycle is to occur, however, the clutch control lever 95 is held out of the path of the latches it! and consequently one of these latches engages with the clutch member I66 and causes rotation of the total shaft.

Secured to the main shaft 1 is a cam [66 with which engages a roll 805 on one end of the clutch control lever 95, the roll )5 being held in engagement with the cam 504 by a spring 93a attached to the lever 93. The cam m4 is so shaped that while a card is entering the designating pin box 6 and is being sensed the cam ltd holds the clutch control lever 95 clear of the latches it! on the aforesaid disc 97. Just before the testing bars 8'! commence to reciprocate however the cam I83 releases the clutch control lever 95 which can then move into the path of the latches ltl under the action of spring 9302 provided that all the testing bars are free to move, that is to say provided that there is no change in designation. If, however, there is a change the testing bars 87 will fail to move and consequently the fram at to which they are connected by their respective latches 89 will also fail to move and this frame, being connected to the clutch control lever 95, will also hold the latter out of the path of the latches no: on the clutch control disc 97 so that the total shaft 96 will be coupled to said disc and will make one revolution.

When the shaft 66 rocks on a total cycle the arm it lowers the rack 3 with respect to the abutment I2 so that the lug it comes into a position in lin with the next lower step it whereby the extent of movement permitted to the rack 3 is increased and accordingly the length of paper fed is also increased.

In order to render the paper feed inoperative during item printing cycles but operative on a total cycle when desired a latch is provided for the disc '3. This latch comprises a slide 26 having a lug 2! which is urged into engagement with a shoulder 23 on the disc 7 by a spring 22. A control handle 26! of which the other end 25 bears on a pin 26 on the slide normally holds the lug 25 clear of the shoulder 23. When the handle 24 is moved down the spring 22 pulls the slide up so that the lug 2i engages the shoulder 23 and prevents movement of the disc 7?.

On a total cycle the pin it strikes a lug 26c on the slide 20 and moves it to bring the lug 2| clear of the shoulder 23 so that the rack I is allowed to operate. 1

By constructions according to the invention the advantage is obtained that on a total cycle the length of paper tea is automatically increased without the necessity for any manual adjustment.

What I claim is:

In a record controlled tabulating machine of the kind having total taking control mechanism and means for initiating an operation of said mechanism when a change in group designation occurs, the combination of a paper feeding roller, a reciprocating driving member for said roller, a one-way connection between said roller and said driving member whereby movement of said driving member in one direction operates the roilerto feed the-paper and movement of said, driving member in the other direction does not operate the roller, an adjustable stop disposable in the path followed by the driving member when moving in the non-operative direction, said stop being settabl to any one of a predetermined number 01' positions exceeding two, each position corresponding to a different length of paper feed, an actuating member having a constant'stroke, means for operating said actuating member at each machine cycle, means causing the driving member, during its nonoperative movement, to follow the movement of 1 said actuating member justable stop, whereby the actuating member continues its movement, -leaving the driving member behind to be picked upby th actuating member on the return strokethereofland then driven positivelyto operate the paper feeding roller, and means operable under the control of the total taking control mechanism to adjust the relative positions of the adjustable stop and the driving member to increase th length of paper fed at a. total taking operation whatever the original setting of said adjustable stop may be.

until arrested by the ad- 

